Coffee Confessions
by solveariddle
Summary: Written for "McBreezy's LTM Fic Challenge". Prompt: Gillian/Eli/coffee. What starts out as an innocent coffee ritual between Gillian and Eli unexpectedly causes her to reconsider what - or who - she is waiting for.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Written for "McBreezy's LTM Fic Challenge". Prompt: Gillian/Eli/coffee. After pondering on what to do with this prompt, I decided to go for a kind of ambiguous story. Since I am a hardcore Callian shipper, it was difficult for me to write something else, and for all the world, I couldn't bring myself to write a fluffy Gillian/Eli friendship story. Yeah, that's me. Everything has to be complicated. So, I went for a scenario that hopefully will please those who ship Gillian/Eli as well as those who ship Gillian/Cal and meet the requirements of the challenge at the same time. I'm not sure as yet if I will add another chapter, but I will label the story as incomplete for now.

It is a rather long chapter, but I didn't want to disturb the reading flow by splitting it into several chapters. Liked it better this way. Hope you enjoy it, too.

**Disclaimer:** I own the flu and a fever right now but regarding LTM – no, nothing, zip. This is just for funsies.

* * *

_She closes the door to her office and for a brief moment complete darkness surrounds her. Then her eyes adjust to the dim light. The logo of The Lightman Group is the only light source and even if it is huge, it is not sufficient to illuminate the whole floor. There are shadows and dark corners everywhere. Yet, she is not afraid in the least. These are her familiar surroundings after all. Let alone that she is positive he is waiting for her. Somewhere. In the dark. Well, maybe she is a little afraid. No, afraid is not the right word. _Excited_. Yes, that is more suitable._

* * *

**Monday**

Gillian arrives at work early, the cup of coffee in her hand revealing that she gave in to temptation another time. The coffee machine in their common room is good, but nothing can compete with the sweet seduction the coffee shop around the corner offers. She can't wait to take off the lid and spoon the milk froth.

When passing by said common room, she spots Loker sitting at one of the tables. He stares into nothingness and she stops in the door frame.

"Good morning."

It takes him a few seconds too long to look up and mumble a _Good Morning_ in return to file it away as simple tiredness or normal distraction. His eyes are bloodshot as if he didn't sleep.

"Loker? Everything okay?"

She wouldn't have asked this a couple of months ago, but things changed after Claire's death. Gillian knows that she is not to blame for it. Still, she considers it a lesson life taught her to be even more alert regarding others than she had been before.

Eli doesn't respond. He doesn't live his concept of brutal honesty as consistently as he did in the past. Nevertheless, his non-answer is as good as a confirmation that no, everything is _not_ okay. Actually, his facial expression is so devastated that Gillian enters the room and sits down next to him.

Her action catches him off-guard. He looks at her surprised and confused. Gillian puts down her cup of coffee on the table and raises her hand in a defensive gesture.

"I don't mean to intrude, Eli, but you look as if something happened. Something bad. And I just want to make sure that you're okay."

She reaches out to touch his arm, and for the split of a second, she thinks he will burst into tears. Then he swallows and looks away. It takes him another few seconds until he is able to speak.

"A good friend of mine died in a car accident. I met him for the last time a couple of years ago. Sometimes we didn't even call or mail for months, but we were... friends. I thought we had...," his voice trails off and he swallows again. "...more time."

To be honest, Gillian doesn't know a lot about Eli Loker. She knows what's in his personnel file and what he told her in between, but all in all that is not much. However, to see him like this, his face distorted by pure agony, makes her sick at heart.

"Oh, Eli, I'm so sorry," she says sympathetically.

His reaction is immediate and comes as no surprise. He shuts down, composes himself and is about to stand up.

"Thank you, but I think I can handle it myself," he answers dismissively.

Being a psychologist, Gillian is aware that this is a common reaction. When Loker told her what happened, it became real and he doesn't want it to be real. She can't allow him to seek refuge in denial though. Based on what she knows about him, he is strong enough to handle the truth even if he doesn't want to. Therefore, it is at least worth a try. She doesn't let go of his arm and holds him back softly so that he remains seated.

"Don't do this, Eli," she almost whispers. "I know how hard it is. I was desperate after Claire's death. You have to talk about it. It doesn't have to be me, but talk to someone."

She feels his muscles relax under her touch due to her admission and kind words. This is good. He has to give up his resistance in order to start the healing process.

Loker takes a deep breath. There are not many _someones_ he could talk to. He is not exactly in close contact with his family (fallout of his brutal honesty), has not many close friends and neither of them lives in town. Ria left The Lightman Group several weeks ago. She left on amicable terms, decided to work for another company at least temporarily to gather more experience and intends to come back in a few years. Yet, she is no longer here within reach although they are still in touch. They are not so close, however, that he can imagine picking up the phone and calling her to tell her about the death of his friend, expecting her to comfort him.

"Maybe you can call Ria and talk to her," Gillian kind of reads his mind even if this guess is not a long shot, but Loker shakes his head.

"No, we're not... we're not," he leaves it at that, and in a way, it explains enough. At least she understands. Sometimes things are complicated.

Gillian wonders about other friends or family but since Eli doesn't offer any explanations, she doesn't want to push him. Instead, she slides her coffee in his direction.

"Here. Take it."

"You offer me your treasure?" despite his condition, he tries to make a joke, the smile not reaching his eyes but even so.

"Yes, I do," Gillian genuinely smiles at him, and this time, the smile he gives her in return reaches his eyes.

Loker reaches out for the cup, looking at her.

"Don't think I won't take it," he says, waiting for the reassurance in her eyes before he takes the first sip.

And then he tells her. About the phone call the night before. About the devastating news a voice told him he never heard before. About a friendship that lasted almost a whole lifetime and was supposed to last longer than last night. And Gillian listens. A lost friend. A missed chance. She doesn't need to pretend. She knows how it feels.

* * *

_As far as she can tell, the floor is empty as is the whole office. There is no sound save for her breathing and the clicking of her heels when she walks down the corridor. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe he isn't waiting for her. Then she sees the dark shadow lurking in one of the corners. Her heart takes a leap, and for a moment, being excited threatens to turn into being afraid. But she relaxes again when she recognizes the familiar figure. She wasn't wrong. He is here. They both are and no one else is. Let the games begin. _

* * *

**Tuesday**

On the following day, Gillian brings along two cups of coffee. Sympathy is a good cause, but she doesn't want to deny herself the desired coffee another time and if she is not mistaken, he will be there again. They talked a lot yesterday, early in the morning and in between whenever they found the time. However, and even if she hopes that their talk the day before helped Loker, things won't suddenly have taken a turn for the better overnight. His friend is still dead and he still mourns the loss.

She is right. Eli is sitting at the same table, looking into nothingness. Today, though, he looks better as if he got at least some sleep.

"Good morning," he greets her when she joins him at the table, handing him the coffee.

"You brought me coffee," Loker states although not actually surprised. After their talk yesterday, he knew that Gillian would look out for him some more.

"I brought you coffee," she confirms smiling. "Don't get used to it."

"I won't," he responds seriously. "But I'll enjoy it as long as it lasts."

The hint of a smile flits across Eli's face, but Gillian almost doesn't see it because she sees something else in his eyes, something she can't quite determine.

"Can we not talk today?" he asks while she is busy sorting her thoughts, already staring into nothingness again, sipping at his coffee occasionally.

At first, she thinks this is an odd request since there has to be much more he needs to talk about. Then she reminds herself that the patient presets the pace. Even if Eli is not her patient, it's his decision to talk or to keep quiet. She considers leaving him alone and drinking her coffee in her office. Then she remembers how he phrased his request. _Can _we_ not talk today?_ He wants her to be here with him and this touches her. After a while, she starts to enjoy just sitting there in silence, sipping at the coffee and dwelling on her thoughts.

"Perfect," she mumbles, sensing him smile next to her.

* * *

_He doesn't move until she is standing right in front of him, their bodies almost touching. For a brief moment, they are just standing there. Then his hand reaches out to touch her neck and softly pull her toward him. There is no hesitation in his movement and she wonders whether only her pulse threatens to go through the roof. But when their lips touch, she forgets what she wondered at. All she can think of is why they have been waiting until now to do this._

* * *

**Wednesday**

It's been a while since it started. During the first two weeks, they met each morning, shared their coffee, shared their thoughts. Then upcoming cases forced them to interrupt what had become a beloved daily routine. They still meet whenever possible though. Eli deals much better with the loss of his friend by now even if it is a wound that will certainly hurt a while longer, maybe forever.

It would be wrong to say that they are friends, but they share personal information. Sometimes Gillian wonders when she will have to stop this because he is a subordinate and it is simply not appropriate to let him know too many personal things about her. For now, though, they haven't reached that point, and so, it goes on.

When one of the new female researchers walks by the common room, Gillian chuckles over Eli's obvious interest in her long legs and curly hair.

"Maybe I should drop Ria a hint that there is fresh competition."

Loker also chuckles. "Yes, maybe you should," he smirks.

"So, Ria and you," Gillian starts.

Eli turns to look at her, raising an eyebrow. This is the opening to a most likely rather bold question even considering that they are closer now and she realizes it the moment she notices his reaction.

"Never mind. Forget it," she backs off immediately.

He continues to look at her and Gillian can literally see him pondering on whether to open this door for her and let her in.

"We never... there never was... anything. Well, we kissed once, but aside from that nothing happened. Not that I didn't want it," Loker admits slightly embarrassed.

She nods and tries not to show her surprise. Gillian always believed that she was the only one at The Lightman Group not acting on her impulses. Somehow, it is comforting to know that there are other people who are as screwed up as she is. In the best possible way that is, of course.

"What about you and Lightman?" Eli asks, shrugging when he sees her shocked face.

"You asked first," he defends his question.

Gillian looks at him, stares at him actually, but unlike her he doesn't offer to back off. _Go to hell_, she thinks although she would never say it. _Why not?_ They are the favorite subject of the office gossip either way.

"Well, we also never... whatever," she states rather clumsily, regretting it already.

"But you wanted to?" Loker persists. "Come on, Gillian," he gives her his best smile, trying to charm her. "I showed you mine; now show me yours."

Despite her efforts to be serious, she can't bite back a smirk and shakes her head.

"I don't think it's appropriate to talk about this, Eli. Actually, I feel rather uncomfortable. So, let's leave it at that, okay?"

Before they became coffee mates, or whatever they are these days, he would have never let her get away with it. As it is, he simply nods and drops the subject.

They sit together in what begins to feel like an awkward silence when Eli eventually asks her, "Did you see it? I mean... Ria and what I wanted to do?"

"Sometimes," she admits. "But you were pretty good at hiding it."

He smiles briefly at the compliment but then continues to look at her in a way that is beginning to make her uncomfortable.

"Was I good at hiding the rest or did you see anything else?" Loker asks next.

"Anything else?" She has no idea what he is talking about.

His gaze is so intense that it makes her skin crawl. Gillian stops short of standing up and getting out because the situation is getting increasingly weird and he is her subordinate after all. Yet, she has no idea what is going on and her curiosity makes her stay. Her curiosity and maybe something else that is starting to tingle at the back of her mind.

"Did you see anything regarding who else I might have fancied or still fancy as Lightman would phrase it," he explains.

Gillian could hit herself for being so stupid to bring it up in the first place. The conversation is way beyond appropriate. And this is exactly what she should tell him.

"No," she answers instead and much too fast while she is replaying several occasions in her head, trying to figure out whether Eli means what she thinks he means.

_I don't go for married women._ It was the truth when he said it back then, but that doesn't mean that he didn't... And she is not married anymore.

Loker's facial expression is defiant. _Come on, ask me. _She backed off before during their discussion and even if Gillian knows it is probably better to back off another time, she doesn't. However, she can't bring herself to ask him either and chooses a compromise.

"So?"

It is not even a thorough question, but she is highly aware that he is trying to manipulate her, is even successful to some extent, and she is not willing to give him more than this. Eli wants to tell her something and she plays along because she wants to hear what it is although she most likely should better dread his answer. There is no need to make it easy for him though.

She didn't pose a thorough question and he doesn't phrase a thorough answer, sticks to the one word solution she chose. The way Loker's eyes bore into hers, Gillian understands the meaning of his answer, anyway, even knows what his answer will be before he says it.

"You."

* * *

_Nothing is enough. Not kissing. Not touching. There are too many layers of clothes between desire and release. It's not a dance and not a fight but something in between. They are too eager to take it slow and have been waiting too long to let it be over soon, to let it end here in a dark hallway. At some point, she dropped her bag and her coat and his jacket joined it on the ground. Neither of them said a word since they started this, but they know that they have to make a decision. Stay or leave? Stop or continue? _

* * *

**Thursday**

There is no coffee ritual anymore. Gillian more or less ran out of the room after Eli's confession and avoided him ever since the best she could, simply not knowing what she should tell him. Well, aside from _back off, _but he already got that from her body language. One reason why she doesn't talk to him is that she shouldn't be thrilled about his admission, but she is. Eli Loker is an intelligent, attractive man with an interesting personality. Under different circumstances... _Don't go there_, she reminds herself whenever her thoughts digress. Because those different circumstances not only would have to include Eli not being her subordinate. They would also have to include herself not being the partner of... someone else. And by _partner_ she means... Well, she has no idea what she means, or rather, she has, but it's another _don't go there_ in her life. Sometimes it makes her wonder where she will end up when she will never go _there_, what will be left as a _here_. Anyway, she avoids Eli and he is smart enough to accept it.

Things change when she realizes that she is subject of the office gossip once again. She and Eli to be exact. First, they met for coffee almost every day, and now, they avoid each other. The conclusion is easy, obvious and wrong but inappropriate nonetheless. Therefore, Gillian decides to discuss it with Eli. There is no way around it.

"Coffee," he states surprised when he arrives in the morning and sees her sitting in the common room, waiting for him.

No coffee for him though. She brought just one cup for herself.

"Still punishing me, Gillian?" he asks, entering the room but not sitting down next to her when he notices that she imperceptibly flinches from his use of her first name.

"I'm not punishing you. I'm just trying to handle the situation appropriately," she states matter-of-factly.

"_Appropriately_. You mean like avoiding my first name?" he points out, referring to her statement. "You _do_ know that the rest of the staff thinks that we slept with each other and then broke up because we barely talk anymore? Guess your avoidance strategy somehow backfired."

They had their fair share of arguments in the past. The fact that Loker dares to provoke her always has been impressing Gillian even if she never told him. Somehow, she believes he knows it, anyway. Maybe this is, at least partly, the reason why he seems to be pleased with himself right now. Everyone thinks he slept with the boss although he didn't. He'd like to see anyone else do that. Gillian feels her anger threatening to boil over. She wanted to help him, that's how this whole coffee thing started, and he drove her into a corner.

"You could have done something about it," she accuses him with barely restrained rage.

"Like what?" he hisses. "Like correcting their assumption? I did that actually. But the more I corrected it, the more they believed the rumor. So, I stopped."

This leaves her speechless; she didn't know that. So, he tried to right a wrong. Well, in the strict sense, he didn't do anything wrong. Admitting an attraction to someone is not a crime. Unless you are working for The Lightman Group that is. Too many possible complications.

Gillian's facial expression softens and Eli takes it as an invitation to sit down.

"Look, I'm sorry if I overstepped the mark," he says. "I didn't mean to offend you. Since we are closer these days, or at least were before this happened, I thought it would be okay to tell you. I was wrong, but I can't take it back. And actually I don't want to. It shouldn't be so difficult for you to handle that there is a man working with you who has the hots for you. After all, I'm not the only one."

She could pretend that he talks about another employee or a client, but she knows that he refers to Cal.

"Actually, I'm surprised that he didn't already kill me."

Another reference to Cal.

Then again, it kind of surprises her, too. There are cameras everywhere and Cal is a control freak. He most likely saw the video feed of their coffee sessions. And for sure, he heard the rumors about her and Eli. So, why didn't he approach her, say something? This bothers her on top of everything else.

Eli watches her closely.

"Maybe you don't want the rumors to stop. Maybe you want him to hear them over and over to see how he will react?"

She is about to deny it because this is what their talk is about, isn't it? Finding a way to stop the office gossip. Then she thinks about it another time. Perhaps he is right. The situation between her and Cal has been complicated for so long that she has no idea how to un-complicate it. Perhaps her subconsciousness was waiting for Cal to rise to the bait when he heard the rumors about her and Eli and act. What he didn't do. So, perhaps Cal made a choice between the two _don't go theres_ for her and she should simply stop bothering about something that will never be.

Gillian takes a deep breath and opens her mouth to respond just when her phone rings. It's Cal. They have a new, urgent case.

She leaves the common room to meet up with him and only realizes later during the day that her phone never rang before when she met Eli for coffee. In fact, the new case wasn't so urgent that Cal had to call her immediately and she can't help wondering whether he observed them and called her on purpose to prevent her answer.

* * *

_They change positions. Now, it's him pushing her against the wall and they come a dangerous step closer to not stopping this but also not taking it somewhere else. She isn't sure whether the knowledge that one of their cameras will for sure tape what just happens is a turn on or whether she should worry about it. When his hands find the clasp of her bra, though, such thoughts are deferred and she reaches for his belt. He pauses to look at her even if there is not much to recognize in the dark. For a moment, there is no sound except for their breathing. _

"_Are you sure?" he asks._

"_Don't talk," she all but hisses, pulling him closer for another kiss._

* * *

**Friday**

The next morning Gillian meets Eli again. She actually texted him to make sure he would meet her because she wants to solve this before the weekend. This time, she brings no coffee at all, but he surprises her with two cups.

"Peace offer." He sits down next to her. "You know, maybe we can still be friends even if it didn't work out and we broke up."

His smile is irresistible. Only Eli can pull off something like that and still look innocent and charming.

"Peace offer accepted." She sips at the coffee he brought her and is surprised another time. "My favorite flavor."

"Yep. Wanted to make sure that you know what you're missing out on."

She has to concentrate very hard to not let her gaze drop to his lips because he _is_ irresistible when he is like this and he knows it. Gillian didn't want to meet him to continue their banter though.

"I didn't know that you tried to stop the rumors and I want to apologize," she says. "I was taken aback by your admission and didn't know how to handle it. Or rather, I thought I knew how to handle it, by keeping the distance, but obviously I was wrong and that was the reason why the office gossip started in the first place."

"The road to hell and the good intentions," he mumbles thoughtfully. "So, you didn't keep the distance because you were tempted?" Eli then adds after a brief pause, smirking.

Gillian smiles and shakes her head. Really? After they just soothed the waters, he goes for it _again_? She should leave it at that, get up and get out. They are on good terms; she achieved her aim. But she has barely sipped at her cup of coffee; he went through the trouble of bringing her favorite flavor and the other man who has the hots for her, to quote Eli Loker, obviously gives a shit. So, why not sit here a little longer and enjoy their friendly banter?

"Flattered but not tempted," she clarifies and he raises an eyebrow, surprised that she even admits as much.

"Not a bit?" he won't give up.

"Maybe a bit." Why not give him something? It's the truth, anyway.

Only when his gaze focuses on her lips, Gillian realizes that it probably was a bad idea. The first step to turn the office gossip into more than just a rumor. But there is a distant tingle in her stomach, reminding her of the feeling how it is to have butterflies there, and she _wants_ to feel like that again. Soon. Is it right to wait and wait and wait for something that most likely will never happen?

"Are you doing this on purpose to irritate me?" she breathes.

Eli's eyes snap back to hers and he blushes. No, he didn't do it on purpose. His attraction is real. The objections are still the same. He is her subordinate. She is his boss. Let alone the third person whose name is written in huge letters over the entrance. Yet, it feels good to be in this moment, to be _here_ and not somewhere where she might never go. In fact, it feels so good that Gillian wonders why she tried to avoid it and how she can manage to have more of these moments and not overstep the mark.

He leans forward, putting his arm over the back of her chair. Their faces are so close that from a certain angle, to be specific from the angle of the camera, it could look as if...

"What are you doing?" she asks, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I don't know," Eli responds, also whispering so that whoever may or may not watch this via the video feed won't be able to make out their words. "I could be kissing you or you could tell me to back off."

This time, her gaze drops to his lips. Very kissable lips, she decides, before she looks at him again only to see him blush another time. She could get used to this.

"And for the record," he deflects. "I could never irritate you as much as you irritate me every day when you show up in those tight dresses just to rub my nose in what I will never be allowed to have."

They are about to overstep the mark. Right now. His hand reaches out to play with a strand of her hair and even if he barely touches her, it sends shivers down her spine. She is aware that this is more about physical attraction than anything else. Yet, she seems to be unable to tell him to stop.

"So, which one is it?" Eli asks quietly. "Do you want me to kiss you or do you want me to back off?"

It's not fair, she knows so much, but it is the only answer that makes sense in a situation she never even thought to be remotely possible until now.

"If my phone doesn't ring within the next few seconds, I want you to kiss me," Gillian says.

* * *

_It feels surreal, like a dream, albeit a wonderful dream. She almost doesn't want to allow herself to believe that it is not. That this is real. The way his hands worship her body. The way his body reacts to her touch. She would like to experience this moment in slow-motion because the inherent feature of first moments is that you can't repeat them, only relive them to a certain extent. But as much as she wants to slow down, she is aware that it won't happen. Not after the built-up of tension beforehand. She needs something to make this real, though, if only to say his name. But when he senses that she is about to speak, he stops her._

"_No talking, remember?" he reminds her. "Your parameter, not mine. Actually, I think I appreciate it because I'm about to make you _not talk_ vocally." _

_It is a rather smug statement and she considers a witty reply, but he sticks with the plan and who is she to complain?_

* * *

I was surprised how much I liked to write Gillian/Eli (with a hint of Cal, of course) and I hope you enjoyed to read it.

Although I love the ambiguity of the ending, I consider posting a second chapter with an epilogue that reveals who it is in the hallway. Yes? No?

Anyway, I'm really curious what you think of the ambiguity of the story/ending. Every review is very appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** This chapter was terribly difficult for me to write. I had a rough draft that was short and funny. I liked it very much, but it made no sense at all considering the storyline. Therefore, I edited it again and again until it drove me crazy, and now, I am even more worried than before whether this story should have a second chapter or whether it works better with the sole ambiguity of the first chapter.

Since most of you voted for a second chapter, though, here it is – revealing, as promised, who it is with Gillian in the hallway. The structure is different from the one in the first chapter. I hope it doesn't irritate you too much. I played around with some ideas and finally settled for this because I liked it. And I'm weird. So, you have been warned...

Thank you so much for supporting this story despite or because of the Gillian/Eli pairing that was part of the prompt. It was definitely a challenge and a great experience.

**Disclaimer:** I own zip. Otherwise, Cal Lightman _and_ Eli Loker would be in my bed right now to comfort me.

* * *

**Friday**

_**The Lightman Group – Camera No. 5 – Position: Hallway – Time: 11:43 PM**_

A woman and a man pick up a bag and some clothes from the ground. There is some rustling, stumbling and giggling and then they are about to head out of the door together when the woman suddenly stops.

"The camera," she whispers.

"What about it?" he asks, his voice betraying him. He knows exactly what she means. Their private sex tape.

"We've got to...," she starts, but he silences her with a kiss and softly pulls her out of the door.

* * *

**Saturday**

_**The Foster Residence – No camera – Position: Bedroom – Time: 9:12 AM**_

When Gillian wakes up, she has to look twice to believe that, yes, there is, indeed, a male body lying next to her in bed. They made it here before the second round and he stayed.

She doesn't regret what happened, but she isn't certain whether him being here makes her happy or uncomfortable. Everything is new and fragile. A lot is happening very fast; she can't even begin to imagine how odd it will be at work on Monday.

He is still sound asleep and Gillian's thoughts drift back to the moment that started it all. She has to smile. All this because of an innocent cup of coffee. Go figure.

_**The Lightman Group – Camera No. 5 – Position: Hallway – Time: 3:13 PM**_

A man enters the office premises and crosses the hallway, taking grand, confident strides as if he owns this place. Maybe he does or maybe he only pretends.

He stops before he turns the corner, searching for something in his trousers pocket, and apparently, finding it.

Then he heads to the server room.

_**The Lightman Group – Camera No. 5 – Position: Hallway – Time: 4:24 PM**_

The same man leaves the office premises.

Somehow, his walk is even more energetic as if he had a good time. A very good time, in fact.

Right before he walks out of the door, the camera catches his expression just when a huge, pleased smile flashes over his face. A man at peace with the world and himself.

* * *

**Sunday**

_**The Lightman Group – Camera No. 5 – Position: Hallway – Time: 1:06 PM**_

A man comes in.

He stops to listen, and after a moment, when he is certain that no one else is there, he heads to the server room.

Most likely he isn't aware that he is fiddling around with his hands unconfidently as if he doubts what he is about to do next.

_**The Lightman Group – Camera No. 5 – Position: Hallway – Time: 1:13 PM**_

A man and a woman come in.

"Are you sure there's no one else here?" she whispers.

"I am," he replies, not bothering to whisper. "I was here many times on Sunday and no one else ever was. Why? Are you afraid we will get caught? Or do you want privacy to watch the video feed once before we delete it?"

He nudges her teasingly, yet tenderly, and she snorts but can't help blushing.

"Very funny," her voice echoes in the empty hallway before the camera loses sight of them because they turn the corner and head to the server room.

Thank God, the camera is no human being. Otherwise, it would start to wonder why the server room is so popular and well-frequented these days while the rest of the year no one barely walks in there.

_**The Lightman Group – No camera – Position: Server room – Time: 1:15 PM**_

_Does she want to watch the recording before they delete it?_ Gillian wonders. Everybody wants to know what they look like during sex, don't they? _No, she doesn't want to know,_ she decides. As exciting, and maybe even arousing, it would be, it would also be embarrassing and she doesn't need a visual reminder to never forget that night. Memories and fantasy will probably do a better job preserving what happened.

Her thoughts are interrupted when Cal abruptly stops right in front of her. She bumps into him and spots a familiar face over his shoulder. Eli Loker is standing in the middle of the server room.

"Eli." - "Loker."

She and Cal address him at the same time but even if they speak simultaneously, Gillian hears that Cal only fakes his surprise. Somehow, he knew Loker would be there.

"So, no one is here on Sunday. Ever." Cal doesn't have to see Gillian to know there is an exasperated look on her face.

"Nah, usually not," Cal states. "But this is a special Sunday, isn't it, Loker?"

Before Eli can gather all his courage in order to answer, Gillian approaches him, "Do you...?" she starts, then seems to decide against it, turning around to ask Cal instead, "Does he...?"

"Have keys for this room?" Cal finishes her question. "No, he doesn't or at least I thought so. Loker, do you have keys for this room or are you just a talented lock picker?" He watches Loker's reaction thoroughly. "So, talented lock picker it is," he then declares. "Interesting. First time?" Studying Loker's reaction again. "Yes, first time. Well, once doesn't count."

"Cal," Gillian says accusingly, increasingly bothered as to why Cal isn't more worried about Loker's presence in a room where only she and Cal are allowed access due to their business policy. The cameras serve security and analyzing purposes and the recordings that are stored on the server are absolutely confidential. Especially when they include... _things_ that are neither for security nor for analyzing purposes just as last night.

"Give the guy a break, Gillian," Cal responds almost sympathetically. "He fancies you and you chose me instead – your old, scruffy business partner. My guess is he wanted to take a look at what he missed out on, didn't you, Loker?"

The shame on Eli's face is obvious and Gillian almost feels pity for him although she is still irritated because she isn't able to classify what is going on.

"How did you know, anyway, that there is a tape of... what you missed out on?" she asks him, struggling to find the right words and to control her irritation while trying to ignore Cal who is as cool as a cucumber.

"Oh, come on, Gillian." It is the first time Eli speaks since they entered the room and caught him in the act, so to say. His inner tension finds its way out by making his voice sound harsher than he intended. He sees Cal flinch when he addresses Gillian that harshly. Let alone that he used her first name. Cal's body language is automatically, and probably by instinct, shifting into protective mode as he always does when he senses a possible threat to her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to... sorry," Loker apologizes hastily. He screwed up by picking the lock of the server room. No need to provoke Cal or Gillian on top of that. They are his bosses, after all.

"I don't know what he said to you when you took the call." Eli starts to explain, referring to the sheer endless seconds when his lips were hovering only millimeters away from hers, waiting for her decision. _If my phone doesn't ring within the next few seconds, I want you to kiss me._ Well, in a way, she had made her decision and left the execution to the two men in her life. And just milliseconds before it could happen, before he could kiss her – really, he had already felt the pull of her warm skin, maybe even had already felt a touch of her lips – her phone had rung. He hates that damned, stupid phone with a vengeance.

"But I know," Loker continues, looking at Gillian with a mixture of regret and longing, "what your face looked like when you picked up the phone and listened to what he said. You were already figuring out different scenarios how you would seduce him, and from what I saw, you didn't intend to wait much longer. So, it didn't take a wild guess to assume that you two probably wouldn't make it out of the office and that there may be something on these tapes."

"Interesting," Cal mumbles, watching Gillian closely and she can't help but blush another time. "Different scenarios, aye?"

He gets closer to her and she pushes him away, not bothering to hold back her anger any longer. She knows Cal tried to read each and every micro expression he could catch in her face while Eli was talking about that moment. She feels uncomfortable that Eli is here with Cal and her, but at the same time she doesn't want her new found closeness, perhaps even friendship, with Eli fall victim to the also new relationship between Cal and her. It's all so confusing and complicated. _Again_. She thought she eventually had left complicated behind. Gillian doesn't even know anymore who she is angrier with – Eli or Cal. _Cal_, she decides. For obvious reasons. He is supposed to be on her side and while she rationally is aware that he is, he effectively behaves as if this all was an amusing game, taking place merely for the purpose to entertain him.

"Damn, Cal! This is not a game," she gives voice to her thoughts. "I don't think other people watching me, us...," Gillian pauses, can't bring herself to say it out loud in front of Eli even if it is evident what she means. _Make love. Have sex. _Both men know what she refers to, anyway. "It's not even remotely funny."

"Do you believe I think it's funny?" Suddenly Cal is dead serious, stepping back into her personal space.

Eli clears his throat.

"Do you want me to leave?" he asks.

"No." - "Yes."

Again, Cal and Gillian speak at the same time. Eli rolls his eyes because of the contradictory instructions, but decides to stay for now. Cal doesn't want him to leave, and in a situation like this, Cal's word tops anything else. His years at The Lightman Group and his survival instinct have taught him as much.

"You and me, Gillian," Cal goes on. "We are the only ones who have the code to delete or watch whatever our cameras record. Loker can break in as many times as he wants, he still will never be able to see you..." He makes a gesture that includes her whole body. "...in all your naked glory."

Gillian wants to be offended that he talks about her in this way in front of an employee, but the way Cal says it is so serious and honest and... _deliberately provocative_ that she is distracted. Her thoughts drift back to the moment when they entered the room and he apparently wasn't surprised to see Eli.

"What is going on here, Cal?" she asks. "You _knew_ Eli would be here. It's as if you _wanted_ us to meet him here."

Outwardly, she appears to be calm and composed, but her anger is right there, lurking beneath the surface. In fact, it threatens to boil over soon if she doesn't get any answers. Cal realizes that Gillian figured him out. Didn't take her long while Loker still seems to be clueless and dumbfounded, ready to bolt out any moment.

"Yes, luv, I knew Loker would be here," Cal confirms her assumption. "I hope you will forgive me, but I knew he would want to catch a glimpse of that tape. Plus, I thought it would be better to have our encounter with him today in private than on Monday with the whole staff watching and listening curiously. Think we had enough office gossip around here lately."

"How could you know I would be here?" Loker finds his voice given Cal's admission.

Cal hesitates briefly before he admits that, yes, there is a GPS tracker at Loker's car that transmitted a signal to Cal's phone the moment Loker drove the route to The Lightman Group so that he and Gillian had enough time to catch up with him. Loker freaks out and curses and Gillian is disgusted but stops short of saying anything even if her facial expression and body language give her away.

"Yes, and now, can we please all imagine this lovely scene taking place on Monday," Cal all but yells to prove his point.

Loker just stares at him, too angry to speak. Then again, it's not Loker's reaction or judgement Cal fears.

"This scene wouldn't have taken place on Monday or any other day if it wasn't for your deliberate set-up," Gillian hisses, her voice so vibrant with rage that Cal shivers in spite of himself. He has to get across to her what this is about. Otherwise, she will give him hell not even 48 hours after she gave him heaven.

"So, you would have preferred Loker to watch the tape without your knowledge?" Cal provokes her some more.

"Of course, not." Contempt – directed at both of them. Their reactions are completely different though. Eli looks down at the ground while Cal spreads his arms in a _so what _gesture.

"Cal, don't...," she says warningly and he can tell she is about to snap any moment.

"It's not about the lock or the tape, Gill," he explains soothingly, hoping that she understands. "It's about the reason _why_ he picked the lock, _why_ he wants to see the tape. It's about you. Did you think he would simply back off just because you left with me and not with him Friday night?"

There is a brief silence. Cal registers Loker shifting from one foot to the other from the corner of his eye, but it's merely a blurry motion in the background. His focus is on Gillian. He doesn't want to alienate her, can't imagine losing her again now that they are lovers at last. Cal doesn't know how to handle things, though, other than the good old confrontational way. They have to work together and he wants to deal with the inevitable tension here and now, once and for all.

The anger still is burning in Gillian's eyes, but it has softened a bit. She knows Cal and finally understands what this is about and why he had to do it in his unique, yet unfortunate, way. Moreover, she has to admit that, considering everything that happened, she didn't waste a single thought on how Eli would cope with it all until now. Thus, the possibility never even occurred to her that he could _not_ back off and try to proceed his advances instead.

Gillian looks at Eli. He shirks from her look but not before she sees the confirmation in his eyes that, yes, this is not over as yet. Not when it comes to him. Conflicting emotions flood through her. Worry that she let whatever this is between her and Eli go too far. Regret that their cooperation at work will most likely be burdened by the situation at least in the beginning. And – despite all that – a slight, tingling excitement because of the risks Eli was willing to take just to see that... tape of her. Speaking of...

"Why weren't you worried about the tape?" she asks Cal. "It wasn't only because Eli doesn't know the code. You weren't even worried in the slightest way that he could have tried to hack his way into the system." Gillian and Cal both know about Loker's computer skills. A code would not necessarily have stopped him.

"I already was here yesterday to delete it," Cal admits and Gillian remembers that he left her for a while. She didn't stop how long he was gone, had no reason to, but due to his admission she ponders on how long it actually was and how long it might have taken him to drive here and delete the tape. Not nearly as long as he was gone, she concludes. Now, that she thinks about it, he was gone quite a while.

"Might have taken a look at the recording before I deleted it," Cal confesses contritely, guessing her thoughts. "Maybe more than one look. Sorry...," he shrugs when he sees her shocked face.

Loker snorts, "Now, who's the pervert here?"

"Don't push your luck," Cal raises his voice to threaten him instantly and not-so-subtly. "I let you get away with the break-in because...," he waves his hands around, meaning Gillian and him and the whole situation. "...because... yeah. But what's between me and her is none of your business. Do you hear me? None."

_Stay away from her._ Cal doesn't need to say it out loud. The words are in the room with them. In huge capital letters.

"Yeah, I hear you," Loker hisses. "But tell me one last thing before I _really_ have to go. How could you be sure that you had time to delete the tape on Saturday? That I would not already have watched it or come to see it on Saturday?"

"Steam, Loker," Cal grins. "You were rejected and had to blow off your steam. Of course, I couldn't be 100% certain, but I was quite sure you would be too tired from your surrogate one night stand to show up at the office on Saturday. The idea to watch the tape probably only came up after the adrenalin had worn off."

Eli's face is a dead giveaway. Anger that he asked the question in the first place and shame are written all over it. Cal is right. He went to look for a replacement. Actually, she came pretty close to Gillian. Well, her looks anyway. Gillian is standing right next to Cal, avoiding Loker's gaze. She doesn't want to think about what he did Friday night and why he did it. It feels weird to imagine that he did it because of her. Nevertheless, she wonders what kind of woman he might have picked. _No, not thinking about this now, _she reminds herself and concentrates on Cal instead. There is way too much aggression and testosterone in the room. She is unsure whether she may have to hold Cal back at some point to keep him from hitting Eli.

As it seems, though, it won't be necessary because Loker prepares to leave. Everything has been said. His relationship with his boss is strained on a good day and the new situation doesn't exactly help, but somehow they will find a way to handle it. They have to. In spite of their dissensions in past and present he loves working for The Lightman Group and knows that his work is respected even if he is rarely praised for it if ever.

However, Gillian can't let him go like this. Not after everything that happened. She approaches and stops him.

"Eli... I'm sorry how it all ended. Please know that I really enjoyed our coffee meetings. Everything I told you when your friend died and the weeks after whenever we talked was honest," she urges, her hand softly touching his arm.

Loker glances at Cal who clenches his teeth but doesn't move or say anything otherwise, respecting Gillian's need to tell him these things. S_o, this is how it is going to be from now on, _Eli considers. He has to stay away from her but if she approaches him, Cal will accept it.

"I know, Gillian," Eli confirms, using her first name just because he can these days. "I enjoyed it, too," he pauses, thinking about whether to say what crosses his mind and then deciding to do it. "But it was kind of a low blow how you used me. Didn't expect that coming from you."

Loker refers to their last meeting, to his permission to kiss her that was revoked by the ringing of her phone, and Gillian has no argument to contradict him. He is right. She used him. It was a spontaneous decision and she doesn't even regret it because it had the desired effect and forced Cal to act, after all. Gillian senses Cal tense up behind her due to the turn the conversation is taking.

"I'm sorry," she offers her apologies, anyway.

"It may take another cup of coffee to make up for that." If Loker has one striking character trait than it is his ability to recover fast from awkward situations. Aside from his quick-wittedness that comes in handy in such situations that is. He winks at Gillian before he leaves the room, more or less ignoring Cal.

"Bastard," Cal mumbles.

"Jealous?" Gillian asks. Despite the tense situation, she can't bite back a smile.

"Nah, never," he lies. "Wanker has nothing on me."

"No, he hasn't," she admits, walking over to Cal and hugging him, the tension between them eventually fading away. "Yet, I might drink another coffee with Loker since it seems to bring out the best in you."

"The best, huh?" he winks at her, too, imitating Eli and making her laugh. Yet, he is aware that she probably used Loker's last name in his favor in order to not remind him that she and Eli are on first name basis these days.

Gillian gets serious again, looking at him warily.

"Did you really delete the tape?"

"Yes," Cal confirms without hesitation. He could as well flat-out lie to her though. It is true that she can read him much better than he can read her, but she has no idea whether he is telling the truth or not when he is like this. Smug. Pleased with himself. Adorable. Just...

"Oh, thank you," he says, smirking.

"What?"

"You just called me..."

"Oh, no, not that again, Cal," she interrupts him.

"...sexy," he finishes his sentence, anyway, not taking his eyes off her face.

They banter some more and then there is only silence filling the halls of The Lightman Group on this special Sunday.

_**The Lightman Group – Camera No. 5 – Position: Hallway – Time: 1:31 PM**_

Meanwhile, the younger man leaves. His steps get more and more confident as he approaches the exit.

The camera can't read his thoughts, but there is an almost imperceptible smile on his face as he is thinking about the upcoming work week and a cup of coffee he intends to share. Oh, yes, he will definitely have another coffee with Gillian. He will bring along her favorite flavor and she won't be able to resist. It will drive Lightman mad.

He can't wait until tomorrow.

* * *

So, um, what do you think?

Did the second chapter make the story better or worse?

Tell me! I'm really at a loss here. So, help me out.

Thank you for reading & reviewing.


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